Kim Kardashian, known for her influential celebrity status, has once again stepped onto the political stage, this time sitting alongside Vice President Kamala Harris to promote criminal justice reform. This roundtable discussion, covered by FOX 5 DC, highlighted President Joe Biden's utilization of clemency powers and the administration's commitment to revising the systemic disparities in criminal sentencing, particularly for those convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
Kardashian's involvement in criminal justice advocacy is not a new facet of her public persona, previously she worked with the Trump White House to secure Alice Johnson's commutation, a woman who served a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, her efforts here continue as 16 individuals recently received clemency from President Biden a day prior to the event. These pardons are part of a larger White House initiative to tackle racial injustice within the penal system, according to The Hill, four of the recipients of these pardons were present at the meeting with Kardashian and Harris, connecting faces to the impact of these reform efforts.
During the roundtable, Vice President Harris, who has a background in law enforcement as a former prosecutor, addressed the deep-seated issues within the American criminal justice system. "Everybody makes mistakes, and for some that might rise to the level of being a crime," Harris said, "But is it not the sign of a civil society that we allow people a way to earn their way back and give them the support and the resources they need to do that?" Reuters reports that alongside this discussion, Harris planned to announce the finalization of a rule by the Small Business Administration aimed at removing most restrictions on loan eligibility for persons with criminal records.
As part of the ongoing effort, President Biden has issued pardons for thousands convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law back in October 2022, steps taken to alleviate the disparities, that have for too long, skewed against communities of color in the nation's war on drugs. Harris previously convened a roundtable focused on marijuana reform, where celebrities and politicians alike shared the stage to shine a spotlight on the need for comprehensive change in drug law policies, Kardashian's appearance alongside the Vice President only solidifies that reform in these arenas is not only the purview of policymakers but also of public figures willing to leverage their influence for the sake of justice and equity, as reported by The Hill.
